GUWAHATI, India — A herd of eighteen wild Asiatic elephants were discovered dead in India’s eastern state of Assam, potentially due to the fact that of an enormous lightning strike, regional authorities stated on Friday.
Fourteen adult elephants were discovered dead by villagers on Thursday, and another 4 bodies were discovered spread on the foothills of the Kundoli reserve forest location of Assam, about 100 miles from the state capital of Dispur, regional wildlife authorities M.K Yadava informed Reuters.
The state federal government bought a top-level questions into the event on Friday, Assam’s forest and wildlife minister Parimal Suklabaidya stated.
“A preliminary report suggests the deaths could be due to lightning although we need to find out through forensic tests if there could be any other reason like poisoning or disease,” the minister included.
Locals who discovered the elephants stated the animals might have been eliminated by a lightning strike late on Wednesday, a regional forest ranger stated, including he had actually seen scorched trees in the location.
The ranger decreased to be called as he was not licensed to talk to the media.
